Requires disclosure of campaign contributions to judges by parties in an action and their counsel; authorizes the chief administrative judge of the state of New York to promulgate rules and regulations that require immediately upon the assignment of a matter to a judge, parties and their counsel disclose any campaign contributions made to such judge; further requires the attorney or counselor to disclose any campaign contribution made to such judge.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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876
2011-2012 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 5, 2011
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GALEF, FINCH -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
CALHOUN, CAMARA, GIGLIO, MAYERSOHN, SAYWARD, THIELE -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring disclosure
of campaign contributions to judges by parties in an action and their
counsel
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 212 of the judiciary law is
2 amended by adding a new paragraph (w) to read as follows:
3 (w) Establish rules and regulations requiring that immediately upon
4 the assignment of a matter to a judge, parties and their counsel
5 disclose any campaign contribution made to such judge. Such rules and
6 regulations shall provide that in the event contributions in excess of
7 five hundred dollars have been made in the past five years to the
8 judge's campaign by a party or counsel to the party, the judge shall
9 disqualify himself or herself upon timely application made by a party
10 who has made no contribution to the campaign. Such rules and regulations
11 shall not preclude disqualification due to any other rule or regulation
12 or with respect to contributions less than five hundred dollars or made
13 more than five years before the assignment of the matter to the judge.
14 § 2. The judiciary law is amended by adding a new section 487-a to
15 read as follows:
16 § 487-a. Attorney or counselor disclosure. Immediately upon the
17 assignment of a matter to a judge, the attorney or counselor in the
18 action shall disclose any campaign contribution made to such judge when
19 such contribution was in excess of five hundred dollars and in the past
20 five years.
21 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
22 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediate-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00639-01-1
A. 876 2
1 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation
2 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is
3 authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such
4 effective date.
